Microsoft Sees Defect on “Very Small Number” of Consoles

Xbox One display at a Best Buy store on Friday, Nov. 22, 2013., in Evanston, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Associated Press

Shortly after Microsoft’s Xbox One went on sale in the early minutes of Friday morning, some customers were taking to Twitter to complain that their new devices were malfunctioning.

The complaints stem from drives used to play discs on the new console, according to posts by gamers on social media and game industry publications like Kotaku. According to some posted videos, the drives make a loud noise when a disc is inserted.

Microsoft acknowledged a problem, but said it isn’t widespread.

“The issue is affecting a very small number of Xbox One customers,” said Xbox spokesman David Dennis. “We’re working directly with those affected to get a replacement console to them as soon as possible through our advance exchange program.”

Hardware and software issues are not uncommon on new devices. Apple’s original iPad, for example, had Wi-Fi signal issues; one of Google’s Nexus tablets at one point had a faulty GPS. Each of them received a software fix that fixed the issue.

Sony’s new PlayStation 4, which was released just a little over a week ago, also was greeted with complaints about damage that may have been introduced during shipping.